HUNDREDS of Grade 9-11 pupils gathered at the uMfolozi TVET College’s eSikhawini campus hall recently for the launch of the Decade of the Artisan campaign.
The guest of honour for the event, which also included a careers expo component, was Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana.
The pupils were encouraged to pursue artisan careers as the country is faced with a huge skills shortage in technical fields.
‘We have earmarked the period 2014 to 2024 as the ‘Decade of the Artisan’, through which we aim to increase the number of artisans produced by colleges countrywide,’ Manana said.
‘Currently we produce just under 15 000 artisans, but hope to double this number by 2030.
‘We want more students to focus on becoming engineers, electricians, boiler makers, welders, mechanics and plumbers.
‘For major projects such as the construction of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup stadiums, South Africa had to import skilled labour from overseas. If we focus more on training our youth in these fields, we would not be faced with such shortages.’
K-Maths lab opened
After addressing the pupils, Manana officially opened the first K-Maths lab in South Africa, which will assist uMfolozi learners to obtain better results in maths.
Local industries were requested to empower the youth through practical mentorship programmes, providing them with on-the job-training.
The minister also thanked the industries for accommodating some of the college students to get industrial exposure and experience.
The MEC for Education, Peggy Nkonyeni, said she was concerned about what most youngsters get up to after completing matric, since only limited numbers can be accommodated by universities.
‘We are here to encourage you to look at all opportunities available. We need to double our efforts to ensure that more young people choose to become artisans.’
